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Best Haunted Houses In Baltimore

August 22, 2012 5:00 AM

Credit: BennettsCurse.com

By Christian Kendzierski

With its shadowy corners, cobblestone streets and home to the gravesite of macabre-legend Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore is a great place to get the wits frightened out of you and your family. We’ve compiled a list of the good, the bad and the SCARIEST of haunted houses in the Baltimore area.

Not much is scarier than walking through a “haunted” forest on a dark, spooky trail, never knowing what’s behind the next turn. Creepywoods creates a great atmosphere full of ghosts, scary monsters and tortured souls. The experience is described as “intense,” so if you have young children, owners suggest sticking with Huber’s family haunted hayride and other daytime activities.

Ghost, goblins and witches conger up scary feelings but just think about being in the room with literary giant and king of creepy, Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe House, in downtown Baltimore, creates a genuine fright with its reading performances by actors who make you feel like Poe has returned from the dead. The readings take place in Poe’s house, which is rumored to be haunted. After the performances one can walk by Poe’s gravesite, just under a mile away from the Poe House Museum at the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. Be safe and prepare to be spooked!

Haunted barns and hayrides will keep you shaking in your tractors as you tour through a 2-mile stretch of fog, human-eating monsters and spooky grave sights. The folks at Maryland Sunrise Farm will go the extra scream to make sure you have a good time. They suggest you come on a Sunday when the lines are smaller and bring a canned good donation for a special discount.

Year after year the Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department’s Bedlam at the Boro continues to offer a great fright with lots of laughs. Organizers keep an entertaining atmosphere going as you take a ride through a lengthy haunted hayride, a House of Horror and an option for younger kids, a less-scary hayride and some amusement park rides. Bedlam keeps prices low so plan on staying for a bite to eat afterwards in the firehouse hall.

A great scare often comes with a great story and Legends of the Fog draws you into theirs. With four major attractions — Carsin’s Manor, Sinister Circus, the Haunted Hayride and a “terrifying” walk through a 700 feet corn maze — they keep you busy. This haunted experience also has a midway with live entertainment, games, food and a bonfire. Try their new “Coffin Ride Simulator” where they carry you in a coffin to your final resting place. Legends takes being haunted pretty seriously, so it’s best for adults. Look for discounted ticket options online.

Bennett’s Curse rate themselves a “T” – for terrifying and have been scaring Baltimoreans for 11 years. The haunted house is more like an experience with three major attractions, including House of Vampyres, Zombie Kingdom in 3D and Sanctuary of Insanity. Tickets can be purchased online.

Christian Kendzierski spends most of his time as a media specialist at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. He also works as a freelance writer and lives in Baltimore. See what’s going in Christian’s world by following him on Twitter @ck1media.